AI's many challenges must be thoughtfully addressed

In the future, personalized AI assistants will use knowledge of our behaviors to inform us of goings-on and do chores, and as we grow older, they'll provide companionship and assistance when caregivers aren't around. These assistants will not only chart our calendars and supply answers to questions, but will help administer medical treatments, assist us in making difficult decisions, and connect us with the people we care deeply about. That's the vision the Computing Community Consortium (CCC), an organization representing over 220 North American academic departments, industrial research labs, and professional societies, articulated in a draft of its 20-year roadmap for AI research in the U.S., which was published this month. Its organizers -- who include University of Southern California director of knowledge technologies Yolanda Gil and Dr. Fei-Fei Li, a Stanford professor and formerly Google's chief AI scientist -- picture personal assistants that will fundamentally transform human lives around the world for the better. "[AI] will enable an elderly population to live longer independently, AI health coaches will provide advice for lifestyle choices, [and] customized AI tutors will broaden education opportunities," according to the report.